How to Get Started With Weightlifting

Jody Braverman
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updated on April 19, 2018

About the Author:

Jody Braverman

Jody Braverman is a professional writer and editor based in Atlanta, GA. She received a Bachelor of Arts in English from the University of Maryland, and she is a certified personal trainer, fitness nutrition specialist, and yoga teacher. She has written for various online and print publications, including Livestrong.com, SFGate, Healthfully, and Chron.com. Visit the writer at www.JodyBraverman.com.

If your weightlifting experience is limited to carrying heavy grocery bags from your car to the front door, listen up! In addition to sculpting the toned bodies you see in magazines, resistance training can significantly enhance your physical and mental health. But starting a program can be intimidating and expensive. Walking into a gym for the first time, you might get lost in the vast array of equipment available, and a personal trainer may be out of your price range. Set yourself up for injury-free success with the advice from fitness professionals on the following slides. Before you know it, you’ll be lifting like a pro.

Why You Should Lift Weights

Keeping these benefits in mind will help bolster your resolve as you start your weight-training program. First of all, resistance training, along with a healthy diet and regular cardio, is a great way to boost your metabolism. “Muscle uses energy. The more muscle mass, the more energy you use, and so it helps people lose some inches,” says Dana Williams, founder of Achieve Performance Training & Coaching in Mill Valley, Calif. Regular strength training also combats the postural imbalances that sitting at a desk all day causes, and it can increase mobility as you age. Athletes involved in other sports, like running or tennis, can prevent injury by lifting weights as part of their cross-training.

How Weightlifting Works

Ready for a little lesson in exercise physiology? When enough resistance is applied to muscles, they develop tiny tears in the muscle fibers. As the body repairs those tears, the muscles adapt to the resistance by growing stronger. In order to continue to grow, you’ll need to change your program every few weeks to a month to keep your muscles challenged. You can also manipulate your training routine to achieve different goals. For example, if you’re looking to build strength, opt for a training routine that involves lifting heavier weight for fewer reps, and if you’re looking to build endurance, choose a routine using lighter weight and higher reps.

1. Find a Place to Work Out

Good news: You can work out anywhere with access to weights. Join your local gym or community center, purchase a set of weights and work out in your basement or sign up for a specialized program like CrossFit. Or get creative: Fill sandbags or water jugs and work out in your backyard or the neighborhood park. Personal trainer Dana Williams recommends that beginners sign up for a few sessions with a personal trainer or join a gym that offers free consultations or small-group weight-training classes. “It’s definitely a worthy investment for someone to spend a little bit to get started,” he says.

2. Learn to Navigate Gym Equipment

Depending on where you work out, your equipment options may be limited to a set of free weights, or you may have several thousand square feet of dumbbells, machines, cables, medicine balls, kettlebells and more. If the latter is the case, it can be overwhelming. The best bet for beginners is to keep it simple. Exercise machines provide stability and safety features that can reduce the risk of injury. They also have instructions printed on them that will show you how to use the equipment correctly. Once you've developed a solid foundation using the machines, you can begin to incorporate free-weight exercises into your routine.

3. Build a Solid Foundation

Remember: Form first! When you first start a weight-training program, your focus should be on learning to perform the movements correctly rather than lifting heavy weights. Don’t walk into the gym, load up a bar and start churning out reps. Take your time going through the exercises using lighter weights and maintaining proper form before you start increasing the weight. “With proper form, you can correctly load the body up with weight and start building intensity through higher volume,” says Seattle-based certified strength and conditioning coach Tommy Jerome. Once you have a foundation of strength and proper form, you’ll be able to add weight and see serious gains while minimizing the risk of injury.

4. Hire a Trainer

Personal trainers exist for a reason (besides making money): Weightlifting is complex and injury is common. A good trainer will ask if you've had any injuries that affect your mobility. Many will also do a functional movement screen to pinpoint any muscular imbalances that strength training may be able to correct. “Every little injury that you had, every little surgery that you had or bone break leads to an increase in asymmetry in the body,” says strength coach Tommy Jerome. Many gyms will offer one or two training sessions for free to new members. If you decide to continue with a trainer, he’ll develop a program that’s specific to your body and goals.

5. Prevent Injury

It’s easy for first-time weightlifters to get injured. Maybe you add too much weight too soon and suddenly -- snap! You’ve torn a tendon. Accidents happen, and they’re more likely when you’re a novice. Personal trainer Dana Williams says the key to preventing injury is to use lighter weights in the beginning. “People are starting to work their range of motion, which starts initiating small muscles that may not have been used to these types of forces, and if you go too heavy, then there’s a good chance of injury.” Williams also says it’s important to have an analysis -- a functional movement screen -- to address weaknesses from previous injuries before getting started.

6. Work Out With a Buddy or in a Group

Maybe you've put off going to the gym because you’re not sure what to do once you get there and are afraid of looking foolish. You’re not alone! But that’s no reason to avoid strength training. Working out with a friend can increase your comfort level. In fact, a study commissioned by Virgin Active Health Clubs U.K. found that people who exercised with a friend worked out longer, burned more calories and went to the gym more regularly. If you can’t rope a friend into weightlifting with you, most gyms offer an array of resistance training classes for both beginners and more advanced lifters. These classes often combine cardio and weights in one for a more efficient workout.

7. Plan a Program

If you hire a trainer, she’ll do the hard part and plan your program based on your current level of fitness and goals. However, you can steal a few basics the pros use to plan your own program. First off, decide your frequency. Personal trainer Dana Williams suggests starting out with three weekly sessions. Second, establish training volume and intensity -- this refers to the number of sets and reps and the weight. During the early phase, no matter what your goals are, Williams recommends lifting lighter weights for a higher number of reps -- 12 to 15 reps is a good goal. Perform three sets of each exercise.

8. Include Some Basic Exercises

If hiring a trainer isn't in your budget, use online resources and books to learn some basic exercises. Squats are excellent multi-joint exercises that work your legs and core. Your gym might have a machine for doing squats with instructions, but it’s a basic movement that even beginners can master with free weights. Chest presses and rows are also good exercises to start with, which you can either do on a machine or with dumbbells or a barbell. Shoulder presses, shoulder raises, biceps curls, hamstring curls and leg extensions are other great options to work into your beginner program.

9. Stick With the Program

Consistency is key! Your decision to start lifting weights is only beneficial if you stick to your plan. During the first few weeks, you’ll likely feel like quitting or skipping a session once or twice. But once you start to see results, you’ll be hooked. “It takes anywhere from 25 to 45 days in my experience for people get past that point of continuing or stopping,” says strength coach Tommy Jerome. That’s why it’s crucial to be disciplined about getting in your three weekly sessions in the first four to six weeks.

What Do YOU Think?

No matter how out of shape you are, you can start to reap the benefits of regular strength training. But just getting into the gym that first time or signing up for a class or personal training session can be nerve-wracking. Take the first step -- do one thing that will get you closer to the goal, whether it’s reading a book on weightlifting or going to a class. Is starting a weightlifting program on your to-do list, or are you already lifting weights? If not, what’s holding you back? Share your thoughts and experiences with the LIVESTRONG.COM community by leaving a comment below!

Need a Beginner Workout? How to Start Working Out at the Gym

If your weightlifting experience is limited to carrying heavy grocery bags from your car to the front door, listen up! In addition to sculpting the toned bodies you see in magazines, resistance training can significantly enhance your physical and mental health. But starting a program can be intimidating and expensive. Walking into a gym for the first time, you might get lost in the vast array of equipment available, and a personal trainer may be out of your price range. Set yourself up for injury-free success with the advice from fitness professionals on the following slides. Before you know it, you’ll be lifting like a pro.